Achery release aid

ABSTRACT

An archery release aid for drawing the string of a bow using a substantially rigid cuff mounted on an archer&#39;s upper arm above the elbow comprising a substantially rigid cuff, a strap to transmit pulling force, and a means for attaching said archery release aid to known bow-string arrow trigger release devices. This archery release aid increases pull-force by relying on strength from the archer&#39;s upper arm and back instead of the lower arm and hand, and increases stability and shot accuracy by freeing the archer&#39;s hand and wrist from tension during release. Moving the point of pull above the elbow provides better leverage to the archer that allows him to pull a bow more easily or to pull a stronger bow than he would otherwise be able to pull. As the wrist is freed from tension the archer is better able to control release of the trigger, resulting in better consistency and accuracy of arrow placement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to accessories for use with an archery bow, particularly to those devices which aid in pulling the string of a bow, and more particularly to pulling devices operated directly by the human arm.

2. Description of the Related Art

Over history many improvements have been made in the design of archery bows and accessories for use with bows to increase arrow speed and to improve accuracy of arrow placement.

In recent years the use of compound bows designed with cables and pulleys and constructed of high strength composite materials has become common. During the act of drawing, the pull-force of these bows starts out very high until the bow is almost fully-pulled. Then, as the bow approaches the fully-pulled position, a series of mechanical cams reduces the pull force to partially relieve stress in the arm of the archer. With a compound bow an archer may be able to pull a stronger bow than with older designs since the high force pulling period is shortened and the onset of fatigue can he delayed. Ultimately the pull force of the standard bow must be limited to the tension that can be supported by the archer. No practical means of providing mechanical leverage for a standard bow has emerged as the pull of the bow-string is transmitted along the bones of the forearm through the joint of the elbow. The distance from the elbow to the shoulder joint sets the length of a cantilever. The triceps and deltoid muscles in the upper arm and the teres and latissimus muscles in the back provide the force to rotate the cantilever, thereby pulling the string. A need exists for a means of reducing the length of this cantilever and thereby increasing the pull-force that can be achieved by a given archer.

Traditionally a string and nocked arrow are held by the archer using their finger-tips. With this method the joints of the fingers, hand, wrist, and elbow are placed under force in addition to the joint of the shoulder. Various means of relieving stress on the archer's hand have been tried. One such device is a strap which encircles the bowstring and connects to the wrist of the archer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,115 issued Jan. 8, 1963 to Johnson. In recent years the use of a mechanical release has become popular. See FIG. 7 for a typical embodiment of a mechanical release. Such release devices are, for example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,925 issued Aug. 16, 1977 to Barrick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,926 issued Aug. 16, 1977 to Troncoso, JR et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,989 issued Jan. 24, 1984 to Sutton. A release device holds the bowstring as it is drawn and includes a hand or wrist strap to relieve the fingers from experiencing tension as the bowstring is pulled. The strap delivers the pull-force to the upper hand, below the wrist joint, bypassing the fingers. A variety of straps have been used to connect the release device to the upper hand or wrist such as those taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,754 issued Jun. 28, 1994 to Pittman et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,167 issued Jan. 21, 1997 to Scott. All such devices place a portion of the hand, wrist, forearm or elbow under tension. A need still exists for a means of reducing tension in the wrist and elbow in addition to reducing tension in the fingers.

The traditional means for releasing a normal bowstring is to extend the tips of the fingers holding the string, allowing the string to roll free and return to its rest position, driving the arrow to flight in the process. When a mechanical release is used it is activated to shoot the arrow by pulling a trigger with one finger, similar in action to a gun trigger. Using a mechanical release the archer can obtain much more consistent accuracy because the fingers are free to be manipulated by the archer and the slight pressure required to activate the trigger is much less disruptive to string action than is the rolling side-ways motion imparted by the fingers of an archer not using a mechanical release. But, the hand or wrist remains under tension with these devices, somewhat constraining motion of the finger used to release the trigger.

Cuffs have been designed to encircle the upper arm for various purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,153 issued Mar. 18, 1986 to Zagorski et al. teaches a medical brace for maintaining broken bone position during the healing process. Slings which attach to the upper arm are in common use in rifle shooting for the purpose of holding the rifle steady while aiming. U.S. Pat. No. 2,357,363 issued Sep. 5, 1944 to H. P. Smith et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,155 issued Jan. 21, 1992 to Salvador discuss such rifle slings. These slings are not intended to apply tension and impart motion. To the contrary they are intended to prevent motion. A need exists for a means of allowing the hand, wrist and forearm to stay relaxed during the release process to further increase arrow accuracy. A further need also exists for a device with a comfortable cuff to impart pulling motion to a bowstring using only the strength in the upper arm, shoulder and back.

Devices to aid the archer in pulling a bowstring have been invented. The cranks and levers used to arm a cross-bow have been used since medieval times. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,314 issued Apr. 20, 1993 to Green, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,957 issued Sep. 14, 1993 to Neilson show devices using electro-mechanical devices or pre-stretched elastic cords to aid the archer in pulling a bowstring. U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,232 issued Mar. 20, 1990 to Carella teaches an exercise device to teach an archer correct muscular control. None of the devices provide a practical aid to archers in pulling a bowstring during normal archery shooting.

Some people with damaged hands or arms cannot use a normal archery bow. Therefore a need exists for a device which allows injured or handicapped people to draw and release a bow.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing, an archery release aid providing a practical means for increasing the ability of an archer to pull a strong bow, reducing muscle strain and increasing stability while aiming and releasing the arrow.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an archery release aid allowing an archer to draw a bow with reduced effort and greater ease and greater accuracy in holding the draw and in releasing the arrow comprising in cooperative combination: a substantially rigid cuff generally conforming to a portion of the archer's upper arm having a pair of adjustable mounting straps allowing attaching of said substantially rigid cuff to the upper arm of an archer; a pair of sling straps attached at their distal ends by attaching means to said substantially rigid cuff, and attached together at their proximal; a connecting strap having a first end attached to said attached proximal ends of straps and a second end capable of connecting to an arrow trigger release device and secured at a desired position by a securing means; a securing means for securing said connecting strap second end along said connecting strap at a desired point; and a retaining strap thereby allowing an archer to draw a bow and knocked arrow using the upper arm and back muscles while eliminating muscle tension in the forearm, wrist, and hand.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an archery release aid allowing an archer to draw a bow with reduced effort and greater ease and greater accuracy in holding the draw and in releasing the arrow comprising in cooperative combination: a substantially rigid cuff generally conforming to a portion of the archer's upper arm having a pair of adjustable mounting straps allowing attaching of said substantially rigid cuff to the upper arm of an archer; a sling strap having two ends passing around the circumference and attached to said substantially rigid cuff, and attached together at said two ends; a connecting strap having a first end attached to said attached two ends of said sling strap and a second end capable of connecting to an arrow trigger release device and secured at a desired position by a securing means; a securing means for securing said connecting strap second end along said connecting strap at a desired point; and a retaining strap thereby allowing an archer to draw a bow and knocked arrow using the upper arm and back muscles while eliminating muscle tension in the forearm, wrist, and hand. It is to be appreciated that in this preferred embodiment straps 6 and 7 may be formed from a single length of strap material, preferably flat nylon webbing.

By leaving most of the arm in a relaxed condition while drawing, holding, and triggering the bow, archer fatigue is decreased and the user has more stability in controlling arrow release, thereby increasing arrow placement accuracy. The archer may choose to use any of a number of available release mechanisms and, regardless of which style is used, will experience better control during the trigger pull since the hand is in a more relaxed condition than it would be without using this sling.

A handicapped or injured archer without normal use of his hand or arm, who would otherwise be unable to operate a bow, may be able to shoot a bow once again using this sling.

The present invention thus advantageously provides an archery release aid that reduces the effort required to draw the bow and further realizes the advantage of not putting the finger, hand, wrist, and forearm joints and muscles under tension in drawing the bow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 mounted on an archer's arm shown as the string of a bow is being pulled prior to arrow release.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 mounted on an archer's arm shown as the string of a-bow is being pulled prior to arrow release as in FIG. 2.

Figure a is a top plan view showing the position of an archer's arm at the point of maximum moment about the elbow joint without the present invention.

FIG. 4 b is a top plan view showing the position of an archer's arm at the point of maximum moment about the elbow joint while using the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective partial view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention showing mounting a single strap completely around the arm cuff.

FIG. 6 is a top plan partial view showing a typical mechanical release used in conjunction with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective partial view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention showing mounting a pair of straps to the arm cuff utilizing a pair of connecting means, also shown is an elbow support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein to the extent possible like reference numerals are utilized to designate like components throughout the various views. Referring to FIG. 1, which presents a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention comprising a substantially rigid cuff 5 having an elbow support 5 a, and further having a pair of attachment straps 9 for securing said substantially rigid cuff 5 to the upper arm of an archer. Also shown are a pair of straps 6 a and 6 b forming a sling with substantially rigid cuff 5, having their distal ends moveably fixedly attached to said substantially rigid cuff 5 by means of attaching means 8 and having their proximal ends fixedly attached together and to strap 7 a single strap suitable for passing through the rear attachment point 13 of a known arrow trigger release 4. Strap 7 returning to pass through an adjusting securing means 10 allowing for fixing the length of the archery release aid to the archer using it. Also shown is a retaining strap 25 which is loosely secured around the archers forearm to keep arrow trigger release 4 near the hand for quick easy access without transferring any tension to the muscles of the forearm, wrist, or hand of the archer. Thus the archer can draw a bow with the upper arm, shoulder/back muscles while leaving the muscles of the hand, forearm, and wrist relaxed. The claimed archery release aid thereby provides a practical means for increasing the ability of an archery archer to pull a strong bow, reducing muscle strain and increasing stability while aiming and releasing the arrow while delivering all tension related to drawing the bow through the release directly to the upper arm, bypassing the hand, wrist joint and elbow.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown the archery release aid of FIG. 1 mounted on the upper arm of an archer by means of substantially rigid cuff 5 and straps 9 connecting the archer's arrow release hand and pulling arm to the knocked arrow 2 through strap 7 and a known arrow trigger release 4. Also shown is a bow 1, and bow string 3 to which arrow 2 is knocked.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the archery release of FIG. 1 mounted on the upper arm of an archer of FIG. 2 showing the retaining strap 25 attached loosely around the wrist of the archer's forearm 18. Also shown are release jaws 12 of a known arrow trigger release 4 which secure the bow string 3 to allow for the bow 1 to be drawn by the archer. Arrow trigger release 4 is also attached strap 7 and straps 6 attached to substantially rigid cuff 5 at attachment points 8. Said substantially rigid cuff 5 attached by means of straps 9 to the archer's upper arm 17

Referring to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, there is illustrated the mechanical advantage to be gained using Applicant's claimed invention. When the upper arm 17 is at a right angle to the lower arm 18, while the bowstring is being pulled by the archer's fingers 14, the archer experiences maximum torque at the shoulder joint 16. Without use of Applicant's claimed invention the torque is proportional to a lever arm of length 23 from the shoulder joint 16 to the elbow joint 15. When using Applicant's claimed invention the lever arm is determined by length 24 from the shoulder joint 16 to the strap 6 attachment location 8. Length 24 being less than length 23, the archer has a mechanical advantage, experiences less torque at the shoulder joint 16 and less muscle strain in the muscles at the back of the upper arm 21 and the upper back.

Turning now to FIG. 5 there is shown a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the substantially rigid cuff 5 having a pair of attaching straps 9 for securing said substantially rigid cuff 5 to the upper arm of an archer, and a strap 6 passing completely around substantially rigid cuff 5 and attached thereto by an suitable attaching means such as, for example, sewing thread, adhesive, or rivets. Straps 9 secure said substantially rigid cuff 5 to an archer's arm by a suitable securing means such as, for example, buckles, and hook and loop connectors.

FIG. 6 shows a top plan view of the connecting strap 7 attached to a known release device 4 at device connector 13 and said arrow trigger release 4 attached to the bow string 3 by release jaws 12 and the archer's trigger finger 14 on said arrow trigger release 4 trigger 11.

FIG. 7 shows another preferred embodiment of the substantially rigid cuff 5 having an elbow support 5 a and a pair of attaching straps 9 for securing said substantially rigid cuff 5 to the upper arm of an archer, and a pair of straps 6. The distal end of each of said pair of straps 6 moveably fixedly attached to said substantially rigid cuff 5 by a suitable attaching means such as, for example, screws, nuts and bolts, or rivets, at points 8 (only one of which is visible). Straps 9 secure said substantially rigid cuff 5 to an archer's arm by a suitable securing means such as, for example, buckles, and hook and loop connectors.

Suitable materials for the substantially rigid cuff 5 include, for example, sheet metal, leather or cloth covered sheet metal, plastic, engineered composite materials and the like. Presently preferred is an aluminum sheet metal enclosed in a removable cover comprising thin padding under flannel fabric having a nylon webbing strap 6 enclosed within said flannel fabric cover to secure said strap 6 to said substantially rigid cuff 5.

Suitable materials for the various straps include, for example, flat webbing, braided cord, sheathed cord such as parachute cord, hollow flat webbing, and the like. Presently preferred is flat nylon webbing.

By leaving the hand, wrist, and forearm in a relaxed condition while drawing, holding, and triggering the bow archer fatigue is decreased and the user has more stability in controlling arrow release, thereby increasing arrow placement accuracy. The archer may choose to use any of a number of available release mechanisms and, regardless of which style is used, will experience better control during the trigger pull since the hand is in a more relaxed condition than it would be without using this sling.

A handicapped or injured archer without normal use of his hand or arm, who would otherwise be unable to operate a bow, may be able to shoot a bow once again using Applicant's claimed invention.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed; various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 

1. An archery release aid allowing an archer to draw a bow with reduced effort and greater ease and greater accuracy in holding the draw and in releasing the arrow comprising in cooperative combination: a substantially rigid cuff generally conforming to a portion of the archer's upper arm having a pair of adjustable mounting straps allowing attaching of said substantially rigid cuff to the upper arm of an archer; a pair of sling straps attached at their distal ends by attaching means to said substantially rigid cuff and attached together at their proximal; a connecting strap having a first end attached to said attached proximal ends of straps and a second end capable of connecting to an arrow trigger release device and secured at a desired position by a securing means; a securing means for securing said connecting strap second end along said connecting strap at a desired point; and a retaining strap thereby allowing an archer to draw a bow and knocked arrow using the upper arm and back muscles while eliminating muscle tension in the forearm, wrist, and hand.
 2. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said substantially rigid cuff comprises a material is selected from the group comprising sheet metal, cloth covered sheet metal, leather-covered sheet metal, semi-rigid plastic, rigid plastic, engineered composite materials, and combinations thereof.
 3. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said sling straps, said adjustable mounting straps, and said connecting strap comprise a material selected from the group comprising flat webbing, hollow webbing, braided cord, sheathed cord, and combinations thereof.
 4. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said adjustable mounting straps comprise a material selected from the group comprising flat webbing, hollow webbing, braided cord, sheathed cord, and combinations thereof.
 5. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said sling strap distal end attaching means is selected from the group comprising rivets, screws, nuts & bolts, staples, sewing thread, and adhesives.
 6. An archery release aid allowing an archer to draw a bow with reduced effort and greater ease and greater accuracy in holding the draw and in releasing the arrow comprising in cooperative combination: a substantially rigid cuff generally conforming to a portion of the archer's upper arm having a pair of adjustable mounting straps allowing attaching of said substantially rigid cuff to the upper arm of an archer; a sling strap having two ends passing around the circumference and attached to said substantially rigid cuff, and attached together at said two ends; a connecting strap having a first end attached to said attached two ends of said sling strap and a second end capable of connecting to an arrow trigger release device and secured at a desired position by a securing means; a securing means for securing said connecting strap second end along said connecting strap at a desired point; and a retaining strap thereby allowing an archer to draw a bow and knocked arrow using the upper arm and back muscles while eliminating muscle tension in the forearm, wrist, and hand.
 7. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 6 wherein, said substantially rigid cuff comprises a material is selected from the group comprising sheet metal, cloth covered sheet metal, leather-covered sheet metal, semi-rigid plastic, rigid plastic, engineered composite materials, and combinations thereof.
 8. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 6 wherein, said sling straps, said adjustable mounting straps, and said connecting strap comprise a material selected from the group comprising flat webbing, hollow webbing, braided cord, sheathed cord, and combinations thereof.
 9. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 6 wherein, said adjustable mounting straps comprise a material selected from the group comprising flat webbing, hollow webbing, braided cord, sheathed cord, and combinations thereof.
 10. An archery release aid as claimed in claim 6 wherein, said sling strap distal end attaching means is selected from the group comprising rivets, screws, nuts & bolts, staples, sewing thread, and adhesives. 